The one thing that’s clear in this presidential election cycle is that it’s certainly not business as usual.
And though no demographic of voters are a monolith, the sudden entrance of a woman of color at the top of the ballot has sparked enthusiasm and curiosity among some of Oregon’s voters of color. Local politicos say if Vice President Kamala Harris wants to harness the power of communities of color she’ll have to drill down on the varied issues that matter most to them.
Harris’ campaign raised a record $81 million in the first 24 hours after President Joe Biden announced he was halting his election campaign and throwing his support behind his vice president. The political advocacy group Win With Black Women gathered $1.6 million in donations via a Zoom call that same day. Over 44,000 Black women participated in the meeting. Nkenge Harmon Johnson, president and CEO of Urban League of Portland, was on that July 21 call.
Nkenge Harmon Johnson, Urban League of Portland president.
Courtesy of the Urban League of Portland
“I think people are going to be excited. I think young folks are going to be excited,” Harmon Johnson said about the likely Democratic presidential nominee. “I think folks — whether they’re of color, whether they’re women or not — will be invigorated by Kamala Harris’ campaign.”
At first Harmon Johnson was shocked by Biden’s Sunday announcement, but she quickly moved towards exhilaration. Harmon Johnson said if undecided voters of color weren’t already paying attention to this year’s tumultuous election, they are now.
“We are living in an unprecedented time, and that’s not a bad thing, especially as a Black woman in America, because a lot of precedent doesn’t do me any good,” said Harmon Johnson. “People still matter and have power in this system, especially at a time like this. That’s a reason to pay attention.”
As a multiracial woman, Harris would bring a lot of firsts to the Oval Office. But even though voters of color could see more representation in the nation’s top job, that doesn’t mean they’ll automatically support a Harris presidential campaign. People of color across the nation and in Oregon still want to see a candidate that has their best interests at heart, said Next Up Executive Director Elona Wilson. Wilson’s group organizes young voters of color across the state.
“Addressing inflation and cost of living, guaranteed abortion access, gun control, racism, police brutality, and any other issues that Black, Indigenous, Asian, and Latinx communities prioritize must be elevated and robustly addressed,” said Wilson in an emailed statement to OPB. “The campaign must make a concerted effort to have direct conversations with voters of color about their priorities and have clear and timely plans on how they will address them and then follow through.”
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, July 22, 2024, during an event with NCAA college athletes. It was her first public appearance since President Joe Biden endorsed her to be the next presidential nominee of the Democratic Party.
Alex Brandon / AP
Others say the entrance of Harris into the presidential race is a chance to position the voices of people of color at the center of the national political debate. For many workers of color in Oregon, that means better representation of the middle class and increased resources for families, said Lamar Wise, political director at Oregon AFSCME.
“Even though Kamala Harris, being a Black woman, is important, the issues that she represents are also extremely important, " said Wise. “At the end of the day folks are looking at politics around the issues that they’re facing.”
Most registered voters of color in Oregon are not affiliated with the Democratic or Republican parties. But among those that are there is a heavy lean towards the Democratic party, especially among Oregon’s Black communities. That’s according to estimates from the voter research firm L2.
For some in Oregon’s immigrant and refugee communities Harris has brought about a restored faith in democracy and in “American Dream” values that brought them to the U.S. in the first place. The status quo has been knocked down, showing them that even people from immigrant families have the opportunity to rise to be the president of the United States.
“I think the fact that this is kind of rocking the electoral world tells [immigrant communities] that change can happen, and it is not always going to be a reflection of history,” said Gloria Ochoa-Sandoval, policy director at the nonpartisan immigrant, refugee and BIPOC advocacy group Unite Oregon.
Ochoa-Sandoval said this presidential election has ignited curiosity and some trepidation among the communities she works with. But the issues they are most concerned with — like housing and financial security, misrepresentation in the media and safety — have remained the same.
Ochoa-Sandoval is navigating this unprecedented election along with her community. She’s not sure what the future will bring. And she said that’s OK. Her advice to Oregon’s communities of color this year is the same as it’s always been: Educate yourself on the candidates and vote for your values.
“Engagement is what’s going to set the future,” said Ochoa-Sandoval. “We’re encouraging people to critique every candidate equally, according to what they believe in and to vote in whichever way makes sense for them.”